City Attorney

Live Here - St. Joseph is carefully nestled on the southern tip of what has been termed "The Riviera of the Midwest." This deepwater port town is a growing resort community – The lakeshore is peppered with remarkable sand dune formations and lined further inland with a lush countryside that produces some of the nation's finest orchards and vineyards.

2009 Report on Lake Boulevard Bluff Evaluation
A study was conducted by Soil and Materials Engineers, Inc. in mid-July, 2009. This evaluation consisted of the existing coastal bluff along Lake Boulevard between Park Street and Water Street. To read the report in its entirety, please click here.
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Neighborhood Watch
Crime Prevention Information Line - Call (269) 985-0300 to hear how you can help yourself and your neighborhood avoid becoming a victim of various crimes that have occurred in our City. Seasonal crime prevention and safety tips are also given out on this line which is updated several times a month.
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Hydrant Flow Testing
The St. Joseph Public Safety Department and/or the St. Joseph Water Department periodically flow fire hydrants to check the function of the hydrants, to evaluate the firefighting water available from each hydrant, to monitor the condition of the water system, and to remove rust and other sediment from the water distribution system.

Hydrant flushing sometimes stirs up sediment in the water lines and results in temporarily brown or "rusty" water in nearby homes and businesses. You can reduce your chances of having rusty water by minimizing your water use if you know hydrant flushing is taking place in your area. You should particularly avoid washing clothes until the flushing is complete and you have made sure you have flushed any rusty water out of your home plumbing.

If you should have a problem with rusty water, you can flush the rusty water out of your pipes by fully opening a faucet and running cold water until the water runs clear. We recommend that you run water from an outside spigot or utility sink that does not have a mesh strainer / aerator on it to clear the rusty water. You may have to open each of your faucets in turn, to remove all of the rusty water from your system. You should open the faucets one at a time, to ensure the maximum water flow to the open faucet. After flowing the faucets, you may wish to remove and check any mesh strainers / aerators on your faucets to remove any debris that may be trapped. You may also wish to run water through showers, toilets, and even run an empty washer cycle just to make sure you have cleared any rusty water from your pipes.

If you detect a problem with rusty water, you should not wash your laundry until you have cleared the rusty water from your system. If your laundry does become discolored, you should wash it again immediately--do not dry it first! Drying it will make the rust difficult or impossible to remove! Also, do not use a chlorine bleach with rust-stained laundry; the chlorine reacts with the rust and just makes the problem worse! More information on tackling rust stains in clothing is available on the following web site:

Please understand that rusty water is not an unusual side effect from a hydrant flushing program, and does not indicate any sort of problem with the water system. The rust results from a reaction between the chlorine in the water, and iron in the pipes. The chlorine keeps the water safe to drink (although we don't recommend drinking the rusty water!) If you have any questions regarding rusty water, please call the Water Plant at 983-1240.

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Hazardous Waste
In addition to City-provided rubbish collection, Berrien County provides an annual Household Hazardous Waste Collection program
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Areas of responsibility include:

Providing oral and written advice and opinions to the City Commission, City Manager, Planning Commission, Zoning Board of Appeals, commissions and boards (as directed), and department heads; Reviewing, drafting, advising and negotiating various documents, including City contracts, RFPs, leases, purchase agreements, deeds, grant proposals, policies and procedures; Prosecuting ordinance violations; representing the City in various civil proceedings.